


If the Truth Be Told

by LuvBusters



Category: The Real Ghostbusters
Genre: Alcohol Usage, F/M, First Date, Mild Language, self doubt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-16
Updated: 2019-09-16
Packaged: 2020-10-19 15:29:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20659475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuvBusters/pseuds/LuvBusters
Summary: Peter helps Egon and Janine with their insecurities and getting Egon to make that first step.





	If the Truth Be Told

**Author's Note:**

  * For [morganskye](https://archiveofourown.org/users/morganskye/gifts).

It’s Friday night and Janine has met her friend Monica at the newest nightclub in Manhattan. 

“Isn’t this place great, Jay?!”

“Yeah! Really classy!”

The two danced with a group of ladies out on the dance floor. The DJ was playing several upbeat songs to get everyone ready for more drinks. Janine and Monica returned to their seats at the bar. They were enjoying their drinks when Monica spotted a former high school friend. 

“Hey, isn’t that Stephen Hendrickson from high school?”

Janine turned and saw him. “Yeah!”

“Didn’t you have a thing for him back then?”

“Yeahhh,” Janine replied, memories returning. 

Monica waved him over, much to Janine’s embarrassment.

“Hey Steve!”

“Hi Monica! And Janine?!” 

“Hi Steve. How’s it going?” Janine asked. 

He shrugged his shoulders. “I can’t complain. I’m working with my dad at his law firm. Got a couple of potential partners lined up. Not to mention a few lady friends.” He wiggles his eyebrows.

Janine rolled her eyes, mentally comparing Stephen to Peter Venkman. 

Monica laughed. “Sounds great! I’m taking my time with the guy scene; I ain’t ready to settle down yet!”

Stephen turned his attention to Janine. “What about you? I’ve seen plenty of articles about your bosses. You got anybody on the ropes waiting for you?”

Janine forced a cheerful smile. “A couple.”

Monica, clearly tipsy, blurted out, “Pphhhh! She’s got one of those guys in her sights, but he’s never gonna budge!”

Janine glared at Monica. 

Stephen smirked. “I’m not surprised.”

“That’s a shitty thing to say!” Janine yelled, her hands on her hips. 

“Oh Janine. I remember how you desperately ran after a couple of guys in high school, including me. The thing is, guys like us: we’re not your type. We’re out of your league. So are the Ghostbusters. You’ve gotta learn to go after guys more your own speed.”

One of the guys Stephen came in with waved him back to their table. “Well, gotta go. Nice seeing you both again!”

Janine turned back around to the bar, ordering a double whiskey sour. Monica looked at her friend. 

“What’s wrong, Jay?”

“Nothing. Just do me a favor and don’t talk to me the rest of the night.”

Monica, not realizing her slip with Stephen, decided she’d had enough and told Janine she was leaving. Janine opted to catch a cab home. She hadn’t had enough just yet.

*************************  
Monday morning came and Janine had spent the remainder of her weekend at home. She had gone through a couple of vodka bottles during that time. 

Egon was the only one downstairs when she arrived. He was looking through the filing cabinets in search of a specific file. He noticed she looked incredibly tired. 

“Janine, are you feeling ok?”

“Peachy,” She flatly replied. 

“Um, is there anything I can do?”

“Yeah, teach me how to not feel anything, like you do.”

“Janine, what happened this weekend? Clearly, nothing good.”

She shook her head. “Nothing important. Are you looking for a file?”

“Yes, the case we handled last week: the Class 7 down at the docks? I need to review the readings and compare to the Class 7 we encountered Friday.”

“Third cabinet, second drawer, up front.”

He went directly to it and smiled. “Thank you. You’re very knowledgeable.”

“Hmph! At least I’m good at something,” Janine retorted. 

Egon sat down on the corner of her desk, determined to find out what had happened. Her demeanor troubled him. “Janine, I say again: clearly, nothing good happened this weekend. Please, tell me what’s wrong.”

Janine was busy starting up her computer. “Egon, I appreciate your concern. I went with a girlfriend of mine to a new club and just had too much to drink.”

Egon stood, placing his hand on her shoulder. He wasn’t completely convinced that was all that had happened, but he knew when it was time to drop it. He gave her shoulder a light squeeze, then took the file and returned to the lab. 

Janine sighed, choking back tears. “Oh Egon,” she thought, “if you only knew.”

Peter stopped by the lab before going downstairs. “Hey Spengs! Find that file?”

“Yes, Janine knew exactly where it was.”

“Good! That’s what we pay her for!” Peter then noticed the deep concern etched on Egon’s face. “Uh oh. Those readings worse than you thought?” He asked as he walked over to the desk.

“No, I’m just …. Janine isn’t herself and she won’t tell me everything.”

Peter smiled. “Ohhhhh, rough weekend?”

“She went to a club with one of her female companions and drank too much.”

“So why are you so upset?” 

Egon tries to look busy, but Peter wasn’t going to give up that easily. 

“Come on, Spengs. You and I have been talking about you opening up to her. Now would be the perfect time. She needs a shoulder to cry on. And we all know, yours is the one she’s after. Actually, she’d take more than your shoulder, but that’s up to you.”

Egon sighed, laying down his notes and looking at Peter. “Yes, I have feelings for Janine. More than just as a friend and employee. But what makes you think she’s ready to discuss her deepest feelings?”

“Why don’t you just say it?” Peter asked, crossing his arms, giving Egon the most smug look he could muster. 

Egon blushed, fingering his collar. “Yes, Peter. I love her. Satisfied?”

“Almost. Now, go tell her that.”

“Now is not the time, and this is not the place,” Egon replied.

“Then take. Her. Out,” Peter demanded. “Arrange a date. A real, honest to goodness date. Not one of those ‘let’s hang out and call it a date’ things you’ve done before.”

Egon agreed, promising he would make dinner reservations as soon as the restaurant he had in mind opened. Peter settled for that, but he made it clear to Egon that he would follow up with him. 

As the day went on, Janine’s mood didn’t improve. She remained professional but it was obvious she was keeping something bitter deep down inside. And it was slowly eating her up. 

Peter checked in with Egon after lunch to make sure dinner reservations had been made. He then went behind his back and confirmed the reservation himself, just to be sure. “Ok,” Peter thought to himself, “now I’ve gotta work on Janine.”

He headed downstairs, a man on a mission. Janine was reviewing their work schedule for the following week. 

“What’s up, Janine?” 

“Just looking over the schedule coming up.”

“Are we busy?”

“Not too bad - yet.” She smirked. 

Peter slid the phone over and sat down on the side of her desk. Janine gave him an annoyed glare. “Do ya mind, Dr. V?! I can’t answer the phone with your ass in the way!”

“Calm down, let the answering machine get it,” he replied casually, waving his hand. “I’ve gotta have a little chat with you.”

Janine sat back in her chair, sighing heavily. “What did Egon say?”

“He didn’t need to say anything. It’s obvious.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. 

Peter rolled his eyes. “He doesn’t think you’re being honest with him about this past weekend. You may have had too much to drink but what else is it? He’s worried about you.”

Janine bit her bottom lip. “Why does he care? Why do ANY of you care?”

Peter leaned over, putting his hand over hers. “Where is this coming from? You know we all care about you. You’re like a sister to us, except for Egon.”

Janine dared to look at Peter directly. “Hmph. You mean to tell me Egon feels more?”

“He does. He wants you to be his girlfriend.”

She gasped, obviously shocked. “Then why are YOU the one telling me?! Why can’t HE talk?!”

“He’s dealing with a lot of insecurities. He’s never been good at expressing emotions of any kind. It’s not something he knows. Science is what he knows, and that’s why he always retreats to the lab. Now, what happened?”

“Me and my friend went to a new club Friday night. A guy we went to high school with showed up.”

“An old boyfriend?”

“No, but a guy that I had a really big crush on. Monica got him to come over. He’s become very successful working for his dad as a lawyer. He’s getting ready to bring in some partners. And he gloated about having a couple of ladies to choose from.”

Peter nodded. “Ok, so I’m hearing that you’re jealous of the fact that you think he’s more successful than you?”

“How can I NOT BE?! No offense Dr. V, but I kinda expected myself to be further along in my life by now!”

“Uh-hum,” Peter acknowledged. “And?” He motioned with his hand for her to continue. 

“He asked if I had any guys on the hook? Monica slipped it out about my hang up on Egon. Stephen told me to my face that he’s out of my league. I’ve always chased after guys out of my league, including him back in school. I’ve gotta accept that and look for someone more my level.” Her eyes teared up as she recalled the conversation. 

Peter handed her a couple of tissues. “That’s pretty harsh.”

“Tell me about it,” Janine said as she dabbed at her eyes. “I spent the rest of the weekend at my place in the company of some vodka.”

Peter sighed. He didn’t expect things to have been that bad. He stood up and walked around to Janine’s side of the desk. He sat down on the edge of the desk, reached over and held her hand. “Janine, first of all, please stop drinking like that. It’s not healthy. Second, that guy is a real jerk; I wish I had been there to knock some sense into him! Sounds like daddy’s money is doing the talking. Egon is not out of your league. Never think that.”

“How is he NOT?! He’s got four PhD’s! I’ve got a community college education! I’m a secretary! Not some kind of genius! He deserves someone so much more better than me.” 

Peter used his fingers to tilt Janine’s head up to look at him. Tears were running freely down her face. “You are not ‘just a secretary.’ You are a very skilled office manager. You keep us straight, you keep the money coming in, the bills paid and you keep me in line with reports. And you’ve become quite skilled with a proton pack. Remember the times you’ve saved our asses?! Contrary to popular belief, you Ms. Melnitz, have become the fifth Ghostbuster on this team and a very important part of that team!”

She allowed a small grin to escape across her lips, slightly blushing at the compliment. 

“You have become very successful in your own right! This guy you talked about: he’s a lawyer? So he makes his living by screwing people over. You make your living by actually helping people. You help make their lives better. Even if you’re not in the field with us, you’re behind this desk giving us what we need to get the job done. We can’t pay you what you deserve because you’re out of OUR league, Janine. But you stay with us anyway. There are no words to express our gratitude.”

Janine was now in full blown sobs. She stood and hugged Peter tightly. He returned the hug. She eventually released him and sat back down. “Wow. Too bad I didn’t get that on video. I could always use something to hold over your head.” She giggled. 

Peter grinned his usual Venkman smile. “Welllll, just remember what I said. It’ll probably be a while before I do that again.” He gave her a playful wink. 

He stood and patted Janine’s shoulder. “And I didn’t say anything about Spengs’ feelings, got it?”

She nodded and smiled. “Got it.”

**************************  
It was almost 5pm when Egon came downstairs. Janine was finishing up for the day. He cleared his throat gently as he was coming down to let Janine know he was there. 

“Hi Egon!” She said happily as she turned to look at him. 

He smiled as he nervously approached her desk. “Yes … umm … you seem to be in better spirits, no pun intended.”

“Oh that’s a good one, considering what we do here!” she laughed. “Yeah, I had a little session with Peter earlier today; it helped me unload some junk.”

“Good! I see you’re ready to go home?”

“Almost. What can I do for ya? You look like you’ve got something you need to say?”

Egon blushed slightly, fidgeting with the stapler on Janine’s desk. After a moment, he left it alone and looked at Janine. “I … well … I wanted to see … I mean, would you … I wanted to ask … umm …” he sighed heavily before speaking again. “Would you like to go out with me this Friday? For dinner? Just us?” 

Janine’s face lit up like Christmas. “Really?! Like, a DATE?!” She squealed. 

“Yes.”

No one thought Janine’s high pitched squeal could get any higher; they were wrong. She ran around the desk and threw her arms around Egon’s neck while he was still trying to regain his hearing. She calmed down and took a step back. 

“Whatcha got in mind?”

“I thought we could go to dinner at Mama Louisa’s Italian Restaurant?”

“Oooh!! I’ve heard very good reviews! Yes! I’d LOVE to!”

“Good! Is 6pm acceptable?”

“Of course!”

“Yes, well … umm … see you then. I mean, I will see you tomorrow too, but …”

Janine giggled and lightly touched his forearm. “It’s ok, Egon. I know what ya mean.” She tiptoed and kissed him on the cheek. “See ya in the morning.” 

**************************  
It was finally Friday evening. Egon escorted Janine into Mama Louisa’s Italian Restaurant. He was wearing a nice black and white dress suit with a red tie. Coincidentally, it matched Janine’s red dress that she wore. It was sleeveless with a neckline that dipped just enough. The skirt hit just above the knee. She wore red pumps which made her legs look twice as long. 

The waiter brought them to their table and left menus with them to review. Egon ordered some wine. 

“This is a beautiful place, Egon!” Janine cooed. “Thank you so much for tonight!”

“You’re welcome! I must admit, I have also been having a few sessions with Peter.”

“Oh my god! For what?!”

“To help me do this,” Egon replied, gesturing to their environment. “I have been in love with you for a while, Janine. But I had insecurities that prevented me from opening up to you. Peter helped me get beyond them.”

“I’m glad. Cause I guess you know, I’ve been in love with you for a while, too. I admitted to Peter something that happened at that club last week. I saw a guy from high school that ….,”

“An old boyfriend?” Egon said with a raised eyebrow and a grin. 

“No, just a guy I used to like, back then. Anyway, he was a real jerk and I got so depressed, I drank most of the weekend.”

“You shouldn’t do that,” Egon said concerned. “I want you to take care of yourself.”

“Don’t worry; I will.” They raised their glasses and toasted to that. As Janine was setting down her glass, she saw Stephen across the room with a date. “Oh shit.”

Egon nearly choked on his wine. “What?!”

“Sorry, I just saw … that same guy. He’s over there with his date.” She pointed discreetly in Stephen’s direction. 

Egon casually glanced over in that direction and eyed the guy shrewdly. 

“Please, don’t say anything!” Janine begged. “It’s done; he’s a jerk; it’s over. Let’s enjoy our date. I’m sorry about bringing it up.”

He returned his attention to Janine and smiled. “Oh, don’t worry. I’m not going to waste my time with him.” Then, a mischievous grin crossed his lips. “Maybe he will ‘accidentally’ see you here with me.” 

Janine stifled an unlady-like snort. “Egon! I never thought of you as vengeful!”

His grin widened. “You’d be surprised.” He said, raising his wine glass to his lips. “What exactly did he say that upset you so much? If you don’t mind me asking?”

Janine stared down into her wine glass. “That he wasn’t surprised I hadn’t settled down yet. Monica let it slip that I was chasing after you. He said you were out of my league.”

Egon reached over and gently placed his hand over hers. She looked up at him. “No, Janine. You’re out of mine.”

She gave him the most genuine smile she ever had. “I never thought I could measure up to your type of woman.”

“My type is someone exactly like you. You are the only woman I’ve known other than my mother who truly appreciates my work. You take a real interest in what I do, not just pretending to gain my attention. That means a great deal to me, Janine.” He took another sip of wine, then continued. “And the fact that you are an incredibly attractive female.”

She blushed and smiled. “You really know how to make a girl feel good about herself, Dr. Spengler.”

“Glad to hear that.”

“I do genuinely think your work is quite interesting. You’re the most brilliant man I’ve ever met. And there’s never a dull moment at the firehouse. Not to mention, you’re the sexiest man I’ve ever met.” She gave him a wink as she sipped her wine. It was Egon’s turn to blush. 

They made polite chit chat as they ate their spaghetti. Egon ordered a chocolate dessert that they shared. After Egon paid the bill, he escorted Janine to the front to get her coat. It had began to get chilly in the evening. As he helped her into her coat, Stephen walked up to get his. 

“Janine?!” 

Her and Egon both turned to face him. “Oh, hi Stephen!” She said. “Egon, this is Stephen Hendrickson. We went to high school together. Stephen, this is Dr. Egon Spengler, my …,”

“I’m Janine’s boyfriend,” he said cooly. They shook hands, politely smiling at each other. 

“Nice to meet you,” Stephen said nervously. 

“Are you meeting someone?” Janine asked innocently. 

A look of embarrassment appeared on his face. “I … ummmm …. well, she dumped me.”

“Oh, a shame to hear that,” Egon said somewhat sarcastically. “It was a pleasure to meet you. Janine, lets go.”

As Egon walked with Janine out of the restaurant, he made sure Stephen saw him place his hand on the small of her back as he leaned down and kissed her gently on the cheek. 

Janine burst into laughter once their cab started off. “That was so cruel, Egon! I LOVED IT! Thank you!”

Egon intertwined his fingers with hers. “Glad you approve. However, there were actually two reasons for that little public display.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. One, I did want to make him feel worse than he already did. I wanted to prove to him that you are happy.”

“And two?”

Egon lifted her hand to his and placed a gentle kiss on the back of her hand. “I truly wanted to do it - because I love you.”

“And I love you,” Janine said, pulling him down by his tie for a passionate kiss on the lips.

After they broke the kiss, Egon leaned forward to whisper something to the cab driver. As he sat back, Janine asked, “What did you say?”

Egon’s mischievous grin reappeared. “I gave him your address.”

Janine pulled him back to her, kissing him again on the lips.


End file.
